tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post2116818647071869261..comments2017-12-11T19:06:19.695-06:00Comments on Horizons: Republicans don't believe in democracyNancy LeTourneauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12614317154146836694noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-13560027026912040172012-12-04T14:35:23.725-06:002012-12-04T14:35:23.725-06:00It also feeds into the general &quot;don&#39;t tru...It also feeds into the general &quot;don&#39;t trust your government&quot; agenda of the right-wing. I sometimes ask progressives whether they support single payer and if they support increased surveillance of American citizens. When they answer that they want the former but don&#39;t trust government to do the latter I ask them why they would trust government to run their healthcare if they don&#39;t trust government with their security?Chris Andersenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-33257887166271420882012-12-04T12:01:49.368-06:002012-12-04T12:01:49.368-06:00I thought about Democrats not trusting democracy e...I thought about Democrats not trusting democracy either after I published this piece and realized it could be a whole other post. <br /><br />My thoughts were about how many on the left don&#39;t trust democracy either because they assume our government has been bought and paid for. They have a point. But its one that fits right in with Republican attempts to undermine people&#39;s faith in democracy. Smartypantshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12614317154146836694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-16267384595112295892012-12-04T11:52:00.029-06:002012-12-04T11:52:00.029-06:00I wouldn&#39;t so much say they don&#39;t believe ...I wouldn&#39;t so much say they don&#39;t believe in democracy as they simply don&#39;t trust it. They don&#39;t trust that it will produce the best results for them, therefore it is in their best interest to subvert.<br /><br />Sadly, the distrust of democracy is not a Republican monopoly. A lot of Democrats don&#39;t trust it either. Trusting in democracy means accepting the results of democracy *regardless whether or not those results advance your personal beliefs.* It means negotiating in good faith with an opposition party when that party represents the will of their particular voters.<br /><br />In other words, it means you don&#39;t always get your way.Chris Andersenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18139817527808942227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-60467461019699561022012-12-04T10:27:50.861-06:002012-12-04T10:27:50.861-06:00My intention here is not to get into the specifics...My intention here is not to get into the specifics of the enforcement mechanisms (or lack thereof) in Obamacare. <br /><br />What I wanted to point out is the overall view of government upon which most of the Republican positions are based. I think D&#39;Souza&#39;s analogy captured that quite well. And as I said - it bears no resemblance to democracy. Smartypantshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12614317154146836694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-54097652083867431392012-12-04T10:21:06.146-06:002012-12-04T10:21:06.146-06:00Well, their base is only interested in privilege, ...Well, their base is only interested in privilege, and their leadership is only interested in power. The unitary executive types are all for unchecked power as long as they&#39;re the one&#39;s wielding it and you have planted enough stooges at the Washington Post that they won&#39;t stick their beak in your business again.<br /><br />But the penalties for not carrying insurance are not only absurdly small, but I believe that there was no collection mechanism built into the law, more or less intentionally. Meaning, you owe money, but there&#39;s no penalty for not paying it. Fact Check:<br /><br />&quot;The law prohibits the IRS from seeking to put anybody in jail or seizing their property for simple refusal to pay the tax. The law says specifically that taxpayers “shall not be subject to any criminal prosecution or penalty” for failure to pay, and also that the IRS cannot file a tax lien (a legal claim against such things as homes, cars, wages and bank accounts) or a “levy” (seizure of property or bank accounts).<br /><br />&quot;The law says that the IRS will collect the tax “in the same manner as an assessable penalty under subchapter B of chapter 68” of the tax code. That part of the tax code provides for imposing an additional penalty “equal to the total amount of the tax evaded, or not collected.” It also requires written notices to the taxpayer, and provides for court proceedings.<br /><br />&quot;So it may turn out that the IRS will be suing those who fail to pay the tax for double the amount. But so far, the IRS has not spelled out exactly how it will enforce the new penalty with the limited power the law gives it.&quot;<br /><br />I can&#39;t see getting too worked up over this. Unless it&#39;s the other team&#39;s guy doing it.Billhttp://freeandeasywandering.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-46102756207764258112012-12-04T10:02:33.272-06:002012-12-04T10:02:33.272-06:00The idea that there are consequences to breaking t...The idea that there are consequences to breaking the law (ie, small fines for not buying health insurance) hardly negates the basics of democracy. We the people elect representatives to make the law and a President to administer it. That includes establishing consequences for breaking the law. <br /><br />What you say about Nixon/Bush/Cheney reminds me that once again, Republican complaints usually include large doses of projection. They have abused the power of the presidency and so they assume that is a feature rather than a bug.Smartypantshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12614317154146836694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163441833245663827.post-59098323450488604572012-12-04T09:53:02.880-06:002012-12-04T09:53:02.880-06:00D&#39;Souza is awful. The point he makes is thorou...D&#39;Souza is awful. The point he makes is thoroughly problematic, because it views virtue or morality as strictly a function of personal volition. It&#39;s not. Moreover, he presents the idea in a thoroughly dishonest way, as you noted. Nobody is threatening death over non-cooperation in paying for healthcare. There&#39;s a small fine. Maybe I&#39;ve even spent too much time with D&#39;Souza.<br /><br />I think there were anti-democratic elements in Republican ideology from the start. They were the party of Northern capital. However, our current burst seems to me to come out of Watergate. Certainly Cheney and Rumsfeld had personal grudges against anyone who would check the executive after that point, and they got their change after 9/11. It might have come earlier, though, with the huge popularity of FDR personally and the New Deal generally. They knew they were at a disadvantage when it came to what people thought.Billhttp://freeandeasywandering.com/noreply@blogger.com